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Who would think that camping would ever have been allowed on library grounds?

"The Pikes Peak Library District plans to ban camping around its buildings as more and more homeless people have been sleeping outside the Penrose Library downtown, leaving trash and human waste in their wake.

Beginning Monday, anyone caught from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. at one of the library districtís four campuses ó the Penrose, East and Old Colorado City libraries or Library 21c ó could be ticketed for trespassing, said John Spears, the districtís CEO and chief librarian.

The move comes as the number of campers outside the Penrose Library has skyrocketed in recent months, making it the latest flash point in the cityís struggle to address homelessness."

It was bad. At 7:30 pm my sis took a book 3 weeks ago to the Penrose drop box...she was VERY startled that she
disturbed someone right there with her lights.
She wasn't scared of them...but geeze!!!!
So GOOD!

I had a meeting there last week in the evening. 90% of the people in the library then were homeless people. When the meeting ended around 9 p.m., I walked out the door to find a dozen people already camped right at the entrance door, in sleeping bags, etc. It was shocking, but I didn't feel threatened.

If I were homeless, when I didn't have somewhere else to be I would hang out at libraries too - bathrooms, shelter, Internet, resources, videos and books to either help me learn something or to help me forget my miserable situation.

But I support the library in saying they shouldn't be camped there at night, and I think it is good they hired a social worker. I don't know what the solution is, but it does seem the city needs a better plan - this shouldn't all be on individual businesses etc., to solve the micro-problem in front of their door only to have it just move around without ever being solved.

That library is a gem for the city; some of the rooms inside are stunning. The PPLD and city need to find a way to safeguard public properties from the wear, tear and degradation caused by the homeless population. The homeless types hang out in the library when it's open and occupy internet terminals. Not sure I'd want to sit in a chair that had been used by a homeless person, some of which are terribly unsanitary.

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I support the library in this effort but I think the only way to truly end homelessness in America will be a federal housing program that houses them free of charge. They then could be evaluated on a case by case basis if they are fit to join the labor force.

Perhaps Springs Rescue Mission and Norwood should get it in gear to get the campus built that they said they were going to put together. Low barrier shelter, counseling, work coaching, loaner clothes for interviews and more was part of this plan. Without it, the homeless are simply floating into the mainstream to whatever is convenient to their location, which means predominately downtown and westside.

Perhaps Springs Rescue Mission and Norwood should get it in gear to get the campus built that they said they were going to put together. Low barrier shelter, counseling, work coaching, loaner clothes for interviews and more was part of this plan. Without it, the homeless are simply floating into the mainstream to whatever is convenient to their location, which means predominately downtown and westside.

I am very impressed at the Springs Rescue Mission they have done alot of good work in the community.

I'd really be interested to know how many COS area homeless are originally from around here, and how many came from other places. I can't imagine why any homeless person would willingly come to (or stay in) a cold winter climate, just to hang out. Could it be that among other things, the library's free internet access is used by the homeless to pass the word on where the best support systems are...free food, places to sleep, places to spend their days, where to find pot and other things?

It seems that the Springs is a very charitable place and that word spreads no doubt. But the old "give a man a fish" thing sure plays out here. It is perhaps the thing that surprised me the most when we moved here - the sheer amount of vagrants. We stopped going downtown as it just feels sketchy. It seems like if the homeless industry that exists to support these folks should secure land and buildings in a less prominent area than downtown where their clientele can linger at libraries and parks indefinitely in between meals.

Here's a Google street-view capture of the library, midday from June 2018. Catholic Charities, which is one block north of the library, says on their website that they have served "207,712 (soup kitchen) meals"...so yes, there does seem to be a connection between where the services are and where the homeless hang out.

"...Services like shelters and soup kitchens fill an immediate need, but when provided without any additional support for the people who use them, they ultimately undermine the success of the people who are trying to escape the grip of poverty and homelessness. Instead of focusing our time and resources on building more, we would be better served by attending to the root causes."

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Last edited by YoYoSpin; Yesterday at 12:00 PM..

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